Many internal combustion type engines are well-known in the prior art. In general, a combustion type engine utilizes the energy from an expanding combustion gas to extract work therefrom. The rotary motion device described herein is believed to overcome disadvantages seen in the prior art and provide a new useful and nonobvious design. Of course, in the broader scope, various versions of the device can be utilized for the other purposes such as a pump or a compressor as described herein.
The embodiments herein show various devices comprising internal rotary valves and a power ring. The rotary valves are inside a casing and rotate with the machine so friction is minimized which is problematic and common with some other devices. In one form, the combustion chamber is separate so that it is not an integral part of the rotary valve or housing configuration. In other words the combustion chamber can be located in different positions and can be different shapes with out hurting the function of the chamber. This arrangement is similar to Rudy Pekua's engine and possibly a few others. However, having a separate combustion chamber has the advantage of being a part that is separately engineered in terms of materials to minimize heat loss through the combustion chamber walls. The combustion chamber can be readily interchangeable to provide different compression ratios to accommodate the detonation properties of different fuels.
The combustion chamber is controlled through porting system that allows for constant volume combustion and high volumetric flow efficiencies and reduces parts used to control the valveing significantly.
In some embodiments there are probably more pistons than rotary valves and most likely an odd number. This insures that the motor is running in a unsymmetrical and alternating fashion. An unsymmetrical orientation should smooth operation and average the torque output. For example as one piston is traveling through a valve another is a third through its power stroke and another is two thirds through its power stroke. With a motor embodiment this insures there are no dead torque spots.
The rotary valves are not equally spaced in certain embodiments. This allows for a very efficient super expansion cycle that cannot be done by the competitors with equally spaced rotary valves. It can be done in a different manor seen in one of the patents where different sized rotors are stacked axially but it cannot be done in one unit as of now.
The device further has a planetary gear arrangement with a sun gear that acts as the power output shaft that spins at a greater rotational velocity than the power ring. Basically the engine rotates higher than the power ring increasing the usability of the unit as a production engine.
Present analysis indicates that the device described herein appears to be quite easy to machine compared to other prior art devices. As well it looks to have better wear characteristics than the perpendicular valved engines.
The rolling seal between the rotary valve and the piston ring is preloaded more when higher pressures are present, this is done by small increases to the diameter of the power ring in certain locations or increasing the valve diameter in curtain locations.
For engine embodiments there can be fewer pistons than rotary valves. This allows intake and exhaust stroke waiting periods. These waiting periods insure the intake receives a full charge of air and lets the combustion almost fully expand before a new charge is compressed in to the combustion chamber. For the exhaust the pressure is reduced to atmospheric pressure before being forced out by a piston to reduce back torque.